Plymouth Will Get Widening, New Drainage

DELAND — Drainage and congestion problems at Plymouth Avenue and U.S. Highway 17-92 could become a thing of the past.

County and city officials met Tuesday afternoon to figure out how to make Plymouth more convenient for drivers.

The group decided on county engineer Bill Gray's proposal to widen Plymouth's three lanes and extend the left turn lane west from U.S. 17-92 to Florida Avenue.

A four-foot median barrier will be built at the intersection to keep traffic from entering and exiting Plymouth from a shopping plaza that includes a 7-Eleven.

Drainage pipes also will be laid to solve flooding problems.

Jerry Frierson, a spokesman for the Northwest Neighborhood Association, said the plan seems workable. ''The main thing is everyone going east or north off Plymouth can't turn into that 7-Eleven. That way we don't have cars stopping 50 to 75 feet back from the intersection and blocking the turn lane.''

The plan has already been approved by the Volusia County Council as part of a five-year road program, Gray said.

The county will speak to owners of the 7-Eleven and other businesses to see if they would build a driveway so that people can enter through a back entrance, he said.

The current traffic flow on Plymouth is 10,037 cars a day at the intersection, which is 6,718 less than a count taken in April 1992, a county road survey shows.

The decrease is attributed to an extension of U.S. 92 to Spring Garden Road, Gray said.

DeLand City Manager Wayne Sanborn said the plan is better than nothing. ''I think we've gotten the best we can get at this point. I would have preferred to have a four-lane section.''